SolGen’s Office’s Haste to Honor Extradition Request Leads to Procedural Errors

According to Courtenay, the rush to incarcerate Knowles and Leach led to procedural errors being committed by government’s attorneys.  For his part, Smith also confirmed that the extradition request has not been made official.

Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for Kelvin Leach and Rohn Knowles

“I think it was a procedural error on the part of the government.  I think they rushed and didn’t think through the steps completely.  The relied on the case of Hertular Number Two and Hertular Number Two, as Mr. Smith read out, went through the whole process that we were arguing should have taken place.  So I think it was just a procedural error.”

Godfrey Smith, Attorney for Kelvin Leach and Rohn Knowles

Godfrey Smith

“And I think a haste to even, perhaps the judge made some reference to it, this can’t be a rubber stamping process where the Americans say this case is important to us, we want this done and judges of this country are supposed to rubber stamp it.  The judge on at least two or three occasions said that there has to be a judicial process.  It’s not a rubber stamping exercise.”

Reporter

“To your knowledge sir, do you know if the United States have come through with the extradition request?”

Godfrey Smith

“They have not, not to the best of my knowledge.  It’s a fact that they have not yet made a formal extradition.”

Isani Cayetano

“So what happens next in terms of the proceedings against these individuals?”

Godfrey Smith

“Well it’s all up to the government now to await any extradition proceedings.  For the moment they are free and we still have the other case at the magistrates’ court about failing to declare which we intend to meet fully.”

A subsequent date has been scheduled for Knowles and Leach to appear in magistrates’ court, where a matter involving the Financial Intelligence Unit is still pending.